Basic Vanilla Butter Cake

Hi guys!

I am sorry I haven't been posting as regularly as I'd wanted to lately, but I promise to try getting at least two posts each week in my schedule. With the cooler weather having arrived, I like nothing better than getting my reading for university done with a nice piece of cake and a cup of tea of coffee by my side. So today's recipe is for all those among you who want a good result without a lot of extra work such as shopping for exotic ingredients. This basic cake comes from the latest edition of the Donna Hay Magazine which features a big section on Classic Cakes as Donna calls them. It is indeed basic - nothing fancy or extraordinary about this cake, but its simplicity is as soothing as it is alluring. 

Here's the recipe:

1 1/2 cups (225g) all-purpose flour, sifted
1 teaspoon baking powder
120g (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup (220g) superfine sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup (125ml) milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1) Preheat the oven to 160°C (325°F). Sift the flour and baking powder into a bowl and set aside. 

2) Place the butter in an electric mixer and beat on medium speed for 3-4 minutes or until smooth. Gradually add the sugar, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a spatula, and continue beating for 5-6 minutes or until very pale and fluffy. Gradually add the eggs, one after the other. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. 

3) Reduce speed to low and gradually add the flour mixture and milk, alternating and ocasionally scraping down the sides of the bowl, until smooth. Add the vanilla and beat until just combined. 

4) Spoon into a lightly greased loaf tin lined with non-stick baking paper and bake for 55-60 minutes or until cooked when tested with a skewer. Allow to cool in tin for 10 minutes turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely. 

Serves: 8-10 (according to recipe), easily 12 thick or 16 thin slices
Active preparation time: about 20 minutes
Total preparation time: 1 hours 20 minutes
© Copyright: Donna Hay Magazine, Spring 2012, October/November 2012

Here's how mine turned out:

This cake is as easy as it gets, but the result is a perfect cake with a rich vanilla flavour and beautiful texture.

Have fun trying!

Pumpkin Risotto

Hi guys!

Monday again and time for a little vegetarian treat. I have been savouring autumn's produce lately and have been diving into a few pumpkin recipes. Today's recipe comes from Jamie Oliver's "Cook with Jamie", one of his books I am actually using on a regular basis. I am not completely convinced by his books, as the recipes are for a large number of servings most of the time and a lot of the recipes feature ingredients I am not particularly fond of. The recipe for this pumpkin risotto hit a soft spot with me the first time I made it and I enjoy making it during autumn and winter still. The pumpkin is baked with cinnamon and chili before being added to the risotto and Jamie finishes his version with crumbled amaretti biscuits. 

Here's the recipe:

1 cinnamon stick, broken in pieces
1 dried red chili
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, for seasoning
olive oil
1 medium butternut squash
1 onion
600g (21 oz) risotto rice
1l (4 cups; 32 fl.oz) vegetable broth, warmed
100g (2/3 stick) unsalted butter 
80g (1 cup) finely grated parmesan cheese
1 cup amaretti biscuits, crumbled

1) Preheat the oven to 200°C (392°F). Ground the cinnamon stick and chili in a mortar. Cut the squash in four pieces, rub each fourth with olive oil, then with the spice powder. Put the squash on a baking tray and bake for 45 minutes until the squash is soft and caramelised. 

2) While the squash is baking, cut the onion in small pieces. In a large pan, heat one tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Cook the onion for about 5 minutes until soft. Add the risotto rice and steam for about 1 minute. Add one cup vegetable broth, turn the heat to high and bring to the boil. Turn the heat to medium and let the risotto cook for about 25 minutes until the rice is tender, adding the broth one cup at a time as soon as the liquid has evaporated - stirring occasionally.

3) When the risotto is cooked, add the grated parmesan cheese. Cut the baked squash in pieces and add to the risotto as well. If using the amaretti, sprinkle them on the risotto right before serving.

Serves: 8 
Active preparation time: about 30 minutes
Total preparation time: about 50 minutes

Here's how it looks:

I normally omit the amaretti biscuits so they are not in the picture as well. I love how this recipe combines the flavours of autumn and winter so perfectly by using squash and cinnamon. This is the perfect recipe if you want to try something new with a surprising touch. 

Have fun trying!

Rum and Date Cake

Hi guys!

Today it's time for another meat free recipe and I've been craving sweets lately which is why I have decided to share a cake recipe with you. Whenever I am in the mood for something sweet rather than savory, I try to make it as healthy as possible without sacrificing on the flavour. The recipe I am going to introduce you to today is from the Donna Hay magazine. I have wanted to make this cake ever since I bought the edition it's taken from, but as it was featured in the autumn issue, I waited for summer to come to an end. 

Here's the recipe:

1 1/2 cups (210g) fresh dates, pitted and chopped
1/2 cup (90g) prunes, chopped
1/2 (75g) raisins
3/4 cup (180ml) boiling water
1/2 cup (125ml) rum
1 1/2 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda, sifted
1 1/2 cups (225g) self-rising flour, sifted
1 1/3 cups (235g) brown sugar
225g unsalted butter, melted
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 eggs

1) Preheat the oven to 160°C (325°F). Chop the dates and prunes and place them together with the raisins, water, rum and bicarbonate of soda in a bowl. Set aside for 10 minutes. Using a hand-held electric mixer, blend the date mixture until smooth. 

2) Place the flour and sugar in a bowl and mix to combine. Add the butter, vanilla, eggs and date mixture and mix well to combine.

3) Spoon into a well-greased bundt cake tin and bake for 55-60 minutes or until cooked when tested with a skewer. Allow to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before turning onto a wire rack to cool, completely. 

Active preparation time: 30 minutes
Total preparation time: 90 minutes

Donna adds a caramel sauce to the cake that I omitted because I believe that the dried fruit and sugar is sweet enough on its own. But in case you want to add the sauce, here's the recipe for it:

100g unsalted butter
3/4 cup (135g) brown sugar
1/2 cup (175g) golden syrup
1 cup (250ml) single cream
1/4 cup (60ml) rum

1) To make the caramel sauce, place the butter, sugar, golden syrup, cream and rum in a saucepan over medium heat and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Bring to the boil and cook for 10-12 minutes or until thickened. 

2) Allow sauce to cool for 10 minutes before pouring over the cake to serve.
© Copyright: Donna Hay, dhm autumn 2012

Here's how it looks:

The cake is wonderfully soft and moist from the rum and the fruit really makes for a nice change from the usual. I loved a piece of this with a cup of tea on a chilly and rainy autumn day and am definitely going to make it again. This cake is about as easy as it gets, but it surprises people as everybody that tried it could not quite tell what was in it. 

Have fun trying and stay warm on the chilly first days of the season!

White Bean Soup

Hi guys!

It's Monday and time for something meat-free. Autumn is in full swing bringing the first cool nights and mornings and I love nothing more than to come home to a hot bowl of soup. I wanted to try the following recipe for some time, but the recipe felt more autumn or winter-appropriate to me so I kept the recipe. It is a white bean soup from Gwyneth Paltrow's book "Notes from my Kitchen Tables". 

Here's the recipe:

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 fennel bulb, stems and fronds removed, bulb thinly sliced
1 large onion, peeled and thinly sliced
2 large cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
pinch crushed chillies
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 410g (14.5 oz) cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1l (32 fl. oz; 4 cups) vegetable stock
coarse salt

1) Slice the fennel bulb, onion and garlic. Rinse the beans. 

2) Heat the olive oil in a large heavy soup pot over medium heat. Add the fennel and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the onion and garlic, turn the heat as low as it can go, and cook for half an hour, stirring here and there. A little colour is okay, but you really want the vegetables to get soft and sweet.

3) Add the crushed chillies, oregano and pepper and cook for a minute. Add the beans and stock, bring to the boil, lower to a simmer, add salt to taste and let cook on low heat for 1 hour. 

Serves: 4
Active preparation time: 30 minutes
Total preparation time: 2 hours
© Copyright: Gwyneth Paltrow, "Notes from my Kitchen Table", p. 58

Here's how mine turned out:

I had to turn the heat up a bit while cooking the onions, because if you turn the heat as low as it goes, there's not much happening in your pot... I love this soup. The vegetable stock will add a lot of saltiness to the recipe already - if you're using instant stock that is. The onions turn wonderfully soft and sweet and the fennel adds depth to the flavour. An added bonus is that beans are rich in protein and very low in fat. 

Have fun trying and stay warm!

Ginger Brioche Loaf

Hi guys!

When the days get longer and darker I as many other people am looking for comfort food a lot. Comfort food to me typically is warm curries, soups, hearty dishes or baked goods with a warming touch. I am especially in love with ginger at the moment. Ginger is able to add a lot of depth to any dish and works especially great in desserts or baked goods. Apparently, Donna Hay is on the same page as I am as she featured a few recipes for baked gingery treats in the June/July 2012 issue of her Donna Hay magazine. The following recipe is actually very easy to make, but it's in to make a big impression. 

Here's the recipe:

7g dry yeast

1/3 cup (80ml) lukewarm milk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 3/4 cups (465g) all-purpose flour, sifted

1/4 cup (55g) superfine sugar

2 teaspoons ground ginger

2/3 cup (110g) sultanas

175g (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter

2 eggs

1/2 cup (110g) white sugar

2 teaspoons ground ginger, extra

1 tablespoon finely grated lemon rind

60g (1/2 stick) melted, unsalted butter, extra

Lemon cream cheese icing: 

100g (3.5 oz) cream cheese

2/3 cup (110g) icing sugar, sifted

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1) Place the yeast, milk and vanilla in a bowl and mix to combine. Set aside in a warm place for 5 minutes or until bubbles appear in the surface.

2) Place the flour, sugar, ginger, sultanas, butter and yeast mixture in an electric mixer and beat on low for 1 minute. Gradually add the eggs and beat for 5 minutes or until a smooth and slightly sticky dough forms.

3) Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Set aside in a warm place for 1 hour or until the dough is doubled in size. 

4) Preheat the oven to 180°C (356°F). Roll the dough out between two sheets of non-stick baking paper to form a 50cm x 25cm (20x10 inch) rectangle. Cut into 5 even rectangles. 

5) Place the white sugar, extra ginger and lemon rind in a bowl and mix to combine. Brush one rectangle with extra melted butter and sprinkle with the sugar mixture. Top with a second rectangle, brush with melted butter and sprinkle with the sugar mixture. Repeat with remaining dough and sugar mixture.  

6) Slice the dough into 6 equal pieces and place, cut-side up, in a lightly greased 26cm x 11 cm (10x5 inch) loaf tin. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm place for 1 hour or until doubled in size. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden.

7) Allow to cool in the tin for 15 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool. To make the icing, place the cream cheese, icing sugar and lemon juice in a food processor and process until smooth. Drizzle over the cooled loaf to serve.

Serves: 6-8

Active preparation time: about 45 minutes

Total preparation time: about 2 hours and 30 minutes

Here's how mine turned out:

I just love this ginger brioche loaf. The dough turns into beautifully fluffy brioche layers with a great spice note from the ginger and sweetness from the sugar and sultanas. The icing is not necessary - it does add another texture and great freshness from the lemon juice though.

Have fun trying and impressing!

Chai Coffee Cake

Hi guys!

It's monday and as I've been spending a nice part of my weekend in the kitchen baking and trying new recipes, I decided to share one of them with you. A friend of mine told me about a blog she came across while searching for a macaron recipe, so I checked it out. It's called Tarteletteblog (http://www.tarteletteblog.com). When I was looking through the recipes in her site, I really wanted to try the chai coffee cake. 

Here's the link to the recipe: http://www.tarteletteblog.com/2009/10/recipe-chai-coffee-cake-and-giveaway.html

Here's how mine turned out:

I really love the flavours the crumble combines - cinnamon, ginger, cardamom and allspice worked beautifully together and create a warming and soothing experience in combination with the buttery dough. This cake is also very easy to make - especially if you don't try to do two layers of dough and crumble. 

Have fun trying!